The Scoop

Well that's just funny. If you're thinking that nobody reads your blog anymore, just post about how you haven't "washed" your hair in almost a month and that just brings people right out of the wood work. :) Jokes. :) Most of you who commented on my last post are those that usually comment anyway. :)

SO. I've had enough questions about what the heck I'm doing, that I thought I'd just write a post to clarify. I've been a little hesitant to share, mostly because I really wanted to experiment a little longer. Plus, what if you do it and HATE it and then think I'm a weirdo? Or don't try it and then think I'm a weirdo anyway?

Ah. Relax.

I don't really mind people thinking that I'm a weirdo. :) Couldn't let a little thing like that deprive my adoring readers {*wink*} of what I think is mega-cool. Right? Right.

I spent most of a day writing this post the other day and then not posting it and generally feeling annoyed because I'd spent so much time on it and it just wasn't flowing right. -- Something about how I don't like technical writing and about how every time I started down a good thought pattern I was interrupted by a fussy baby or fighting children or someone sticking booger-covered fingers in my fillintheblank. (ears, eyes, pant leg . . . you choose. All would be correct.) So, I'm going to give you the links, minimal instruction and backstory, and my feelings. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask, but I'm still a newbie at this -- you might find better information by doing a google search.

About four weeks ago, I joined Pinterest. {Which, by the by, pinning on Pinterest could easily have the potential to be the biggest time waster since you first stalked all your old high school classmates on Facebook.} One of the first things that caught my eye was a pin about a face "washing" regimen called "The Oil Cleansing Method". Basically, it talks about how your skin secretes natural oils that protect and moisturize your skin and by using soaps, you are rinsing all of those away - doing more damage than good. I pretty much hate washing my face with anything but a wet wash cloth anyway (I don't like getting all drippy and wet and splashy), so this was right up my alley. (Exception: I love St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I use it every time I shower and it's the only skin product I've ever stuck with.)

I've generally been pretty happy with what I was doing until . . . I don't know . . . I had Vi? It's been a little while now that I've struggled with my skin. I've felt like it's looked kind of tired and dry and dull for at least a year. It definitely didn't have me looking forward to a thirty-year-old body all that much. I hated feeling like my skin looked old. Also, over the past couple years, I've realized that I struggle with eczema in some places. My face, occasionally being one of those. So I was up for trying out something for my face that was different than what I'd been doing.

This method uses a combination of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and Castor Oil to clean your face. It sounds totally weird, but it's very simple. Please follow the link above. I don't want to write out all the directions.

I'm sure that all of you have visions of my face gleaming in oily disgustingness and smelling like an Italian restaurant at this point, but amazingly, it doesn't really leave my face feeling oily at all and I've been incredibly happy with it ever since the first time I tried it. My skin is soft and pretty much blemish and zit free. As I mentioned in my last post, even Nels noticed and commented on how nice my skin has been looking . . . and that's really something. :)

On the website, the author suggests that you begin with a basic 1 to 1 ratio of oils. I've realized over the past few weeks that I have fairly dry skin and so I use a ratio of 3 parts EVOO to 1 part castor oil. When I change this up and add more castor oil, I start getting dry eczema patches again (like last week), but if I stick to the 3:1 ratio, my eczema is pretty much nonexistent. Gets rid of blemishes, zits, and eczema? I was sold from the get go. 

Sound weird enough yet? I use oil to clean my face. I use less make up and my skin looks better than it has in years.

Now if all that isn't weird enough for you, just wait. I've also entirely stopped using shampoo and conditioner! Enter: visions of an oily-faced, oily-headed, dread-locked, stinky Rachel. Right? However, that has most definitely not been the case. The day that I read about the Oil Cleansing Method, I also read a crazy article titled, "How To Clean Your Hair Without Shampoo" - using instead baking soda and vinegar. I thought it sounded a little kookoo (not to mention explosive! :), BUT I had recently run out of my favorite shampoo and was debating on whether or not to go fork out the moola for more anyway, so I decided to give it a try. Besides, the rationale behind this method really struck a cord with me. Read it, dudes and dudettes. It just makes sense. - In a hippy sort of way.

Just like the skin on the rest of our bodies, our scalp naturally secretes oils that protect both your skin and your hair. Shampoo, being a detergent, washes all those good oils right out - thereby stimulating your scalp to produce even more of them and resulting in oily-er hair that needs to be washed more often. A vicious cycle. At the suggestion of my hairdresser, I've spent the past couple of years slowly weening my hair off of needing to be washed as often - usually going 2 to 3 days between shampooing. My hair has been happier for it. 

The gal writing the post explains the reasons and the method pretty well, so just read what she wrote. This method has worked really well for me and I haven't really changed it at all. After the soda water wash, I rinse my hair with vinegar. Cool, huh? :) Olive oil and vinegar are now staples in my hygiene regimen. Bread and salad, anyone? :)

Being as my hair, like my skin, tends to be a bit dry, I use the vinegar mix a bit more liberally than the author of this article does. It's been working great.

The very first time I cleaned my hair this way, I was a little skeptical. In the shower, it felt like I wasn't really doing anything and it was kind of strange to not get all "lathered up" and the vinegar didn't leave my hair with that "slick" feeling that you get so used to with conditioner. However, neither was my hair tangly - surprisingly. After brushing it out, I was really impressed with the difference in my hair.

As I've read more about this method, I've learned that hair that is naturally curly or even wavy (like mine) is more likely to also suffer from being naturally drier. Over the past few years, I've spent quite a bit on great moisturizing shampoos. They've definitely helped my hair, but it's so hard for me to fork out the money on them. As I brushed out my hair the first time I used this method, my hair felt different. Not good or bad, necessarily, but different. And I immediately noticed how much easier my hair was curling all on it's own. My hair usually requires a decent amount of product to get it to curl attractively and stay, so I was really surprised.

I've continued to clean my hair this way and I've noticed that not only does it curl easier, but it's softer and generally more manageable. Occasionally I'll still use mousse - for curl definition - or a bit of "De-frizz" when I blow dry it - (mostly because I need a haircut and I've highlighted my hair), but on the days when I don't, I STILL LIKE MY HAIR! Which is saying a lot.

So. My verdict.

I've LOVED the Oil Cleansing Method for my skin. My face looks much more . . . perky. Clear. Soft. Whatever. I love it. I use less foundation because my skin has fewer (or no) blemishes and less dryness. It's much more even that it previously was. I can't wait to clean my face at night. It feels so good. I store my mixture in a $2.00 glass pump bottle I picked up at the craft store. Easy. Inexpensive. Effective.

And my "Poo-Free" :) Experiment? Thrilled. I was going to be happy if my hair just felt as good as what it did when I'm using regular shampoo. But I would honestly say that I'm as happy (if not more) with this method than I was with my expensive shampoos and conditioners. To clarify: my hair does NOT feel the SAME as when I use expensive shampoo, but I am just as happy with how it FEELS. As good - maybe even better - but different.

I've been asked if this method works for color-treated hair. I honestly don't know. Some websites I've read say that it can lighten your color, others say it's fine. Will this method mean you can totally get rid of all the products that you've been using? I don't have any idea. I would imagine it would depend on what the products are, your specific hair chemistry, and the reason why you were using them in the first place.

What I would do is, first: Do your own reading on the subject. There is a plethora of information on the internet from people that have been using this method. How did I not hear about it earlier? Don't ask me, because this is obviously not something that has just recently been discovered. And second, I'd just try it out. Everyone has different hair, different skin, different preferences. Just because I've loved it, doesn't mean that you will, but I thought I'd share the info, should you feel so inclined to give it a shot.

My reasons:
First, I love that both methods are inexpensive. Love that. 

Second, although I'm FAR from being a "green" convert, I love the thought of using fewer chemicals on my body.

Third, to me, it just makes sense that the things that can be the best for us are naturally produced. I truly believe that the Lord has already provided us with almost all the things that we need - naturally. -- Well, maybe with the exception of Magic Erasers. :)

Fourth. And probably my biggest reason. I love not being dependent. Even if it's to something as simple as shampoo. I love watching my body do what it does best. Heal and take care of itself (for the most part) with minimal outside intervention. Bodies are pretty amazing, you know.

I'm learning with age, that I'm a bit of a hippy. Simple is better or me.
And there you have it. The skinny on what I've been doing.

PLEASE. If you try this out, will you give me your feedback? I would REALLY LOVE to know how either of these methods work for you. Hate it? Tell me. Love it? Let me know. After all, this is all kind of an experiment for me. It's not a very good experiment if I only have my own information. So share.